Rainbow Grail
by Dagron
Summary: Post PGSM. Chaos has a tendency of coming back full circle, and when Rei has a vision of a Sailor Guardian dying alone, you know there's trouble ahead. Can the girls make sense of the situation before it's too late? Their new enemy moves fast after all...
1. Black Hair, Blue Confession

** Warning:** Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon universe, also known as based on the live action drama series. If you don't get something, you'll probably need to google for some PGSM information at the least. (Go watch it. You know you want to. It Rocks!)  
**Disclaimer: **No, I am not sadistic enough to make some young pop idols fight on screen in mini skirts, nor did I create the concept of a talking cat that came from a destroyed moon kingdom. Ask Naoko Takeuchi.

**Rainbow Grail.**

**-  
**

**Part 1 -Black Hair. Blue confession.  
**

-

** T**he night was dark, black, but not as black as her hair.  
Long elegant coal-black hair, that reached down to her thighs. It was a wonder how she managed to leave it loose without it hindering her.  
And the stars shone, sparkling at us from the depths of space, but the sparkle of flame in her eyes was many times stronger and fiercer.

She was angry, I could see it.

I expected her to take it out on me, give me my just punishment for my crimes.  
I'd seen her give time and time again the baptism of fire to various monsters who had crossed the line, who had hurt those she held dear. A brief foretaste of the hell that awaited beyond.  
This time should be no different. I knew I was beyond redemption.

But she stopped.

Her white-gloved hand, which had been lost in a ball of red-hot flame only seconds prior, released the power it had been holding to fall to her side, brushing against her red mini-skirt and coal-black ribbons.

I couldn't understand.

Why wasn't she reciting her mantras?  
Why wasn't she telling me that she was going to punish me in the name of Mars?

Why was she giving me a chance to escape?

I was afraid to look her in the eyes now.

If she'd put out the flames of Justice, I dared not think of what I would find upon looking on her face.  
I coughed, miserably, while trying to sit up and make sense of the situation.  
I had only one wish, and that was to lie down and let myself be killed... But I could see she wasn't going to humour me that right now.

"Wha... Why?" I choked out.

My throat felt full of smoke and bile. The fight had been tough, the others had weakened me and she had outdone herself to stop me, to weaken me more, to put me at the mercy she had me in now.

A flash of red before my eyes told me she'd moved her feet, the ones in those impossible high-heeled shoes. I'd never needed glasses before, despite wearing them at work, but now seemed like the first time in my life I felt I couldn't see properly...

Yes, indeed, my sight was blurring. I couldn't see what she was doing, where she was going.  
She wasn't going to leave me here like this, was she? She couldn't be that indifferent to me!

"Rei...!" I cried.  
I winced as I felt my sides twinge in pain, as I realized that it was tears I had raining down from my own eyes.

"Hush," she whispered, her voice tender if sad.  
I felt a softness brush away at my eyelids, clearing away the moistness that clouded my vision. I could see her now, crouched in front of me, her hand held up to my face.

I couldn't turn away from her face now, not even if I had wanted to.

I could make it out, despite the dark shadows that bathed us now her fire was dimmed. I could make out the pale outline of her face, her cream coloured skin slashed and bruised by my own assaults upon her. The telltale twinkling of frost showed me where she'd been badly frostbitten by my dark mercury blast.  
But as much as all these marks pained me, what hurt me the most, what kept me staring, was the look in her eyes.

She looked as if she were about to cry.  
Sailor Mars, the proudest of the sailor warriors, was on the brink of tears.

She didn't cry often, Rei. Had we not all been so closely linked, I doubt she would have ever let us see her tears.

I had seen her cry, twice, maybe thrice. I'd seen her cry out of anger and frustration, a natural reaction to the ball of fury that would build up inside her. I'd seen her cry a loss so painful her flames of passion could only burn erratically...

But she was older now. No longer the teenage girl who held a grudge against her introvert father, but a woman who's patience and sharp mind put her in the respect of many.

She shouldn't be crying over such a situation as this.

Usagi had cried like a baby, as expected, but she'd done it with grace. Makoto had bit back her tears, biting through her lips, as the brave woman that she was, before I'd knocked her out of her pain. Minako's eyes had merely glazed over before she fell, unconscious. I hadn't given her the time to cry, but given the chance, I don't think she would have. A leader always hides their weakness from their subordinates.

But Rei...

"How could you, Ami...?" She said softly, her sad eyes boring through my own.

How could I what?  
How could I have attacked them once more as Sailor Dark Mercury?

I could always have claimed I had no choice, but I knew that wasn't true.  
There had been a choice, a difficult, and terribly unfair, choice.

I thought I'd become strong enough never to have to face this dark side of me again, and the memories of pain that came with it. I thought by using my brains and the opportunities at hand, I'd be able to avoid such a dilemma, but I was wrong. In between sacrificing the lives of innocents to spare me this pain and betraying the trust of my friends, my choice had been swift and firm.

I strained against the hand she had on my cheek, the hold she had on my arm in an effort to turn away.  
My burns were singing out an anthem of pain, but I ignored them. Anything to get away from that disappointed, yet still trusting gaze. But my body wasn't being cooperative, and my legs had given out all together. I could vaguely recognise in my left knee the tell tale symptoms of a torn tendon that I would usually search for in patients.

And even if my body had been up to the task, the warrior before me would not have let me go.

Seeing me struggle, she muttered something, her own pain hissing through her teeth, as she pinned me to the ground. It's only then that I noticed the ugly gash in her left arm. The doctor in me immediately thought of a way to disinfect and bandage it, and maybe stitch it up before it got worse, but the shade in me snarled, and I let out a sob.

There must have been some way to get the fire back in her. To convince her to kill me, as I had trusted her, and them, to do. We had fought together to protect the ones we loved, to protect the town, it's inhabitants, and by extension the world... We trusted each other to do our best, knew each other well enough to cover the others' weaknesses, while dreading the day where our sense of duty would take over our sense of survival, where we'd have to make sacrifices to reach our ends.

How could I hurt her enough to make her forget our friendship, and get the deed done?

My eyes turned towards were my ice glaive had fallen. It glittered an eerie blue, barely noticeable.  
It was too far to reach, and I didn't have enough strength to use my sailor powers to bring it any closer. Mars's daggers lay beside it, flashing red and gold as if still burning. I noticed her glancing towards them too, following my own eyes.

She sighed.  
"You... You still don't get it do you..."

There. A tear was now trickling down her cheeks. I felt like cursing at the world.

"It's you who don't get it Mars. Get a grip on yourself!" It was a poor imitation of her scolding, but I put enough ice into it for her to look at me sharply.

"Mercury." She hissed, the tears pouring more freely now. A spark of anger seemed to have been revived in her glare, but it wasn't directed at me.

"I know what it is you are truly after..." She said, maintaining her grip on my shoulders. I closed my eyes, not wanting to acknowledge her tears any longer.

"Pray tell..." I replied sullenly.  
If I stayed in this position long enough, I might just be able to choke and asphyxiate myself.

"You're not after that stupid Grail. You knew from the start none of us could know where it was."  
And that was true. That was what the enemy was after.

"The only clues you had to this Grail were that child, and the existence of three talismans that would bring the Grail forth." She spat. "Three talismans each guarded by a Sailor Warrior."  
Yes. Yet again information I'd leaked to them under the guise of treachery. Clues that I wished they'd been able to decipher before it had gotten this far.

"What you are after, is your own sacrifice..."  
As sharp as ever.  
After being friends for so long, I should have known Rei would have caught on to that one...

If only she'd been able to find the talismans before the enemy. If only her and the others could have already gotten to the mythical Grail.  
But maybe it had been too much to hope for? After all, a paranoid child and three talismans supposedly guarded by sailors who had never heard of them before, let alone the Grail, wasn't exactly what one could call a promising start to a treasure hunt.

I remained silent, trying hard to ignore Rei's hot and boiling tears landing on my neck.  
Her hold on me had weakened, but in my nauseous state, I couldn't bring myself to fight her shivering arms.  
The aftershock of our battle wounds must have been hitting us both at last. I didn't think I could recall as harsh a battle before, excepting one, and that had been just before the end of the world.

"How could you Amy..." Rei started to accuse me, shaking my shoulders with weak hands, startling me enough to make me open my eyes.  
"How could you even dare to think that after all we'd been through together, any one of us could possibly abandon you to such a fate?"  
She was angry, yes, but it seemed the anger was directed at herself.

I recalled Venus's last words before Mars had come to fight me.  
Merely a whisper, after a blast of Ice had just thrown her against the wall.  
"I understand how Mars feels."  
She hadn't stayed conscious long enough after that to elaborate, but now I understood what it was she was referring to.  
Her own death.  
I hadn't realised just how painful this must have been for Rei. I knew she'd been terribly marked by Minako's death, before the silver crystal had been destroyed.  
She'd felt responsible for it, she'd blamed herself terribly, her elegant and fierce exterior had shattered completely once the news had sunk in. She'd let Minako down. She knew she shouldn't blame herself but she did. And she would never allow it to happen again if she could allow.  
Now I knew why she couldn't kill me.

Curses.

I felt my own tears swell again in my eyes, born of frustration and blurring what little of the world I could make out in the obscurity of the night. Where was a full moon when one needed it?

"But you said so yourself..." I answered, my voice weak, my hopes dwindling. "You saw it in the flames and in your dreams. A message so clear that you had no doubt about it's meaning. I quote you. _'On_**_e of us is going to die.'_**"

I had hoped to be proved wrong, it was true, but I also knew that Rei's predictions were very rarely off the mark.  
If one of us were to die to prevent all of us from being killed, then let it be me, and may the information I gathered for them in this treason of sorts help them defeat our enemy and survive.

"Idiot!" She cried, a touch of her usual spunk back in her voice, but the pain and sadness was still there.  
"Idiot... You were right then..."

Startled by this, I made a disbelieving sound as I tried to sit upright once more. Somehow, I managed to do so, Mars barely keeping a hold on me, her head turned away in what I perceived to be shame.

"What..." I coughed, hating my body for trying to prevent me from asking my question.  
"What do you mean by that, Rei?"

Her voice low and near toneless, she replied.  
"You all knew I'd been sitting and brewing on that cursèd prediction, right?"  
I nodded, but I think she merely took my silence for an ascent. She went on.  
"I didn't want to tell you lot about it. Not until I could make more of it out." She shivered, whether it was because of the cool air, her wounds or the memory of the vision, I could not tell.  
"Anyways, you all noticed I was twisting myself in a knot about it, worrying that there might not be more to the vision than what I'd understood. Worrying that by the time I did make anything else out, it might be too late to prevent anything. I tried my best to hide it, but Minako noticed, pointed it out to the rest of you, and soon you were all harping at me to let out what was bugging me. I could keep it to myself no more then."

Yes. I remembered that evening. It had been barely a week after I'd returned to Japan to begin my career.  
We'd all been consternated at the news. The description of a sailor warrior, obviously one of us, being taken down by some unseen force.

_'But we can't even transform any more!_' had cried Usagi.

At that, our collective gaze had turned towards Luna, in her human form, sucking hard on a piece of candy, her brow creased in thought. She was the only one still able to transform into a sailor warrior, a fluke of chance.

_'They do say cats have nine lives..._' whispered Minako quixotically.

A quickly-muffled protestation came from Artemis, but Rei merely shook her head.

'_I got a good look at the silhouette, and even blurred as it was, I would have recognised Luna's sailor form._ She demonstrated, slightly embarrassed, by using her hands to indicate cat ears.

During this exchange, Luna had merely continued looking blankly at the floor, mumbling something about sailor warriors and her memory, oblivious to her being mentioned.  
It had been a difficult conversation, but in the end, we had agreed to sit on it and keep our guard up.

"I don't know how, but you managed to cheer me up." Said Rei, obviously recollecting the same scenes as me.  
"Anyways, I recently managed to interpret more of the dream, with Luna's help.  
And I was mistaken. I'd presumed death was awaiting one of us five, but that was because of the sailor suit and powers."

My brain seemed to stall for a minute, before I could respond.  
"Wait a minute.  
Who do you know apart from us five and Luna who's ever turned into a sailor warrior?  
You're not saying there's other Sailor Warriors... are you-... !"

Suddenly I lurched forward, shivering as I brought my hands to my head. The fog of recollection that I only had access to when in possession of evil was zooming in on my consciousness.

Painful images of the war that had laid the moon kingdom to ruins plagued my mind, followed by earlier, somewhat absurd memories of piano duets with Zoicite, training and fun with the girls, sessions with the Queen and parties at the Palace. Bits and bobs of conversation where coming into focus now, until I had confirmation of what I had just asked Mars.

Yes.  
There had been other Sailor Warriors then, apart from Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and me, Mercury. Sailor Moon hadn't existed then, nor had Sailor Luna, but I could distinctly recall mentions and knowledge of others in the past life.

And if we had been revived to this life, why not them?  
If only I could remember their names...

But it was too late to remember from the past life now. The dark power inside me had stirred, realising that something was amiss, effectively shutting off the memories it was ironically the only thing I knew of to give me access to them, as I had to divert my mental strength to fighting for control over my body.

I could feel Rei's arms around me, her voice calling me by my name, sounding terrified that she'd lost me.

The darkness inside me seemed to be creating flames of black coldness around my body, I bit my lips at the thought that they would be biting away at my friend's arms, making her wounds worse. The dark side of me couldn't care less. It was in pain and misery, and it wanted to take it out on everybody, including me.

I focused on containing the monster, while still desperately searching my mind for clues regarding the other sailors.  
For some strange reason, the image of that little girl, or little brat as the darkness called her, came to my mind.

The little girl with her red eyes and her hair done up in a similar fashion to Usagi's.

She'd crashed into Mamoru and Usagi's married life from the middle of nowhere, claiming Mamoru to be her father, and Usagi to be her name.  
She wouldn't trust anyone with her secrets, and when scolded she would hug her cat-eared ball and run off to hide where no one could see her. If the enemy hadn't come after her, I might not have been faced with my horrible decision, but then again, maybe the others would never have realised it was possible to reawaken our powers naturally had it not been the case.

Where was that child now?  
I recalled Jupiter saying something about Chibi-Usa being with Mamoru. Yes, small Usagi was an appropriate name for her.

And then it hit me.  
The memory, in astonishing detail, of a glimpse I'd had of the child sulking, just before I'd been captured by our foe.

She'd been sniffling, hugging the ball against her chest with such an air of homesickness that I couldn't help but feel sympathy, remembering my own bouts when I'd first moved to study abroad. She was mumbling something, a name that struck me at the time as odd.

_'Puu._' she'd said. _'Help me Puu..._'

She couldn't be talking to her toy. She always referred to it as Luna-P (much to Luna's irritation.)  
It was only now that I recalled hearing an answer coming through the ball, before all hell had broken loose.

_'Small Lady... Be brave..._'

A voice that was both rich and wise, caring and melancholic, and, most importantly of all, it seemed familiar enough to bring the memory of another woman to mind.

I jolted my head up, startling Mars by not only staring intently into her own confused gaze, but by grabbing the front of her suit.

I had to tell her fast.

The darkness holding me in it's grip would soon have enough of my resistance. It would either take me over entirely or steal away my life force and abandon ship.  
Either way, I'd soon be out of commission, and however much I loathed the idea of being used to harm Mars without any control at all on my actions, I would regret a thousand times on the road to hell missing out on the one occasion to hand over vital information on the enemy's targets.

I rattled on at her, repeating the nickname, repeating her name and description, the identity of the only other sailor I had remembered from the past life, thanks to evidence from the present.  
Mars was looking at me as if I was mad, but I knew she was memorizing every word of my prattle, conscious somewhere in her soul that whatever it was I was saying, it was important.

At long last, the evil presence in my body, that had been so content to die with me only minutes ago, heaved itself through me, ready to depart. It felt as if I were having my heart pulled out. I gasped in pain and passed out, barely able to wish that Mars be able to stop the shade...

-

**tbc...**

_Author's note: _Hello there!

I don't believe I've posted in the Sailormoon fandom before and I must admit I haven't actually been reading that many sailormoon fics of late. (Yes, I know, shame on me, but I love my other fandom too much. ) Hopefully this venture of mine into the mesmerising world of girls fighting demons in mini-skirts isn't too painful a read for you. I have played around with them before, in a small crossover fic I posted in the fandom I play around in most (Detective Conan-Magic Kaito) named "Masked Thief," but writing a multichapter fic is another set of roses.

... And to be honest, this piece of writing did start off as a simple one shot idea, using Mars and some random monster... But then Darkury decided to barge in and well... I know that the idea of the PGSM verse having to face the other menaces the manga and TV series had has most likely been done before. Alas when the plot bunny strikes, it is sometimes hard to say no. Especially when it is all pink and sugary.

I can only hope this will go down the interesting paths I wish it to, without getting too confusing on the way. And yes, I am mixing everything in the blender a bit. I'm terrible like that, but hopefully it will keep you on your toes. I know it keeps me on mine!

-**Dagron**.


	2. White Walls, Wilting Flowers

**- **

**Part 2 - White Rooms. Wilting flowers.**

**-  
**  
** W**hen she awoke, it was ironically to the hospital room she'd last treated a patient in. The fresh flowers she'd put by the window then had been replaced, but the present bouquet was already in need of changing. It felt as if it had been an eternity, but at the confused look on her face, I could see she couldn't remember any of what had happened.

I stayed at the door, glimpsing through the gap, in the hopes she wouldn't see me.

"Mizuno, you're awake!"  
That was Nephrite, or at least his human form. I'd never bothered remembering his human name, we all called him Nephrite.

He said Mamoru had sent him to protect Ami in case the enemy came after her again, though I had the feeling he was just as worried about her as the rest of us, and glad to have her free once more of the dark influence.

He was sitting by her bed, a rather incongruous ornament in his lap, a get-well soon gift.  
I saw her smile as she took in his presence and present. The smile she had for Nephrite had grown a special sparkle since the world had been "reset." Half amused and thankful, and also rejoicing at seeing him.

But being Ami, of course, she didn't like not knowing. She bypassed the normal greetings, a rare thing with her, and asked him.

"What happened?"  
Somehow I'd known it would be the first question she'd ask.

"You... I... It doesn't matter."  
The lack of his usual insolence and flighty mood must have been all the confirmation she needed.

Her eyes darkened and her face paled slightly.  
"Sailor Dark Mercury, right?"

There was no use for Nephrite to try lying to her, he wasn't any good at it anyway. He nodded, his shoulders slumped. There'd been no way he could have prevented the situation, but I knew he felt just as much to blame as me or any of the others.

"Usagi? Rei? The others?"  
Ami's voice was full of worry and dread.

"They're fine." He said, brushing aside her fears with a sweep of his hand.

"Mamoru's wife is already brewing away get well soon food for you lot as if nothing had ever happened to her."  
Ami and I winced slightly at the mention of Usagi's cooking. I hadn't known that bit of our 'princess's' plans, but Ami and I smiled anyways. Usagi's cooking might be difficult to eat at times, but her genuine efforts cheered us.

"Aino and Motoki's wife will just be going around with a couple of bandages for a few days, and Hino's being kept in for a fever, but she'll be up and about in no time." Continued Nephrite.

Seeing Ami's creased brow, he added in a scolding tone and with a glare...  
"The only one really badly hurt was you."

She sighed, her sad and apologetic smile coming naturally to her face.  
"I... I don't remember what I did but... I'm glad everyone's alright."

"Everyone's not alright!" Cut in Nephrite.  
Way to go wonder boy, I thought, cursing at his bluntness. Although I was probably one to talk.

Seeing Ami look hurt at his outburst, he backtracked and said.  
"Sorry. I meant it's not alright that you're hurt. You really don't remember anything?"

She shook her head.  
"Only that man, what was his name? Diamond? And being given a choice. After that..."

The bitterness at the way she said the word choice didn't escape me. I wondered what it could've been for it to affect her so and result in such a painful ordeal.

Realising at last that it was best to change topic, Nephrite did so.  
"You cut your hair." He said.

An amused and tired smile came across Ami's face this time.  
"An incident with a little girl and a pair of scissors. It'll grow back in time."

"It suits you."  
His comment caused her to blush uncomfortably and look away. This time she was the one who wanted to change topic.

"What am I being treated for?" She asked.

This question obviously baffled Nephrite. He knew what she meant, but the technical answers escaped him.  
I slipped away from the door before he could look towards me for assistance and betray my presence.

Anyways, I was reassured as to Ami's state. She was shocked and afraid that she'd been turned into Dark Mercury again, but she was coping with it much better than the first time around.

I returned to Rei's room, somewhat envious of Ami having Nephrite by her side. Motoki would have come to be with me, but I'd told him to take care of the shop for me. His arms would be waiting for me at home this evening though; in that regard, Ami and Nephrite still had a way to go yet. I also came across Ami's mother on the way, and greeted her, telling her that her daughter was awake now. She thanked me warmly, and I suspected her next patient was going to have to wait a little longer as she took a detour towards the room I'd just left. Even if she didn't have Nephrite's arms to support her, Ami still had her mother there and caring.

Minako greeted me as I opened the door to Rei's room.

"Hey Makoto. How's Ami doing?"

I smiled, brushing aside what worries I'd had and answered.  
"Okay. She's slightly shaken at not remembering what happened and knowing she must have tried to hurt us, but I think she's dealing with it pretty well. Much better than last time, any rate."

"That's good." Minako sighed in relief. "I'll probably go and see her myself once we've had our talk.

"Yes. Oh, Rei? Your sixth sense was right by the way."

Rei grinned ruefully at my addition from her pillow. Her guessing correctly the time when Ami would wake up from her sleep obviously cheered her some. We all knew of her aversion to hospitals.

I went to sit at the edge of the window, beside another bouquet of wilting flowers. I made a mental note to send in fresh bouquets from the shop first thing in the morning. Today had been a long day, and last night had been hellish.

The enemy's presence had been getting more and more felt around town, and last night, we'd had to go and fight against it once more.  
Usagi was still unable to turn into Sailor Moon, but Mars, Venus and I had been able to transform, ironically because we'd had to face Dark Mercury again. The Shitennou hadn't been happy to see us fight, but they knew that once transformed we were their equals on the battle field. Anyways, they were responsible for protecting little Usagi, and couldn't put her at risk by fighting the monsters in town, so they might as well let us take care of it.

That, and we needed to find a way to get Mercury back.

As expected, or feared, we'd had to face her, in her blue and black uniform, her ice glaive in hand.

She'd found Usagi, and had seemed decided to kill her. A terrible image, that brought me back to our first confrontations with Mercury possessed. Then she had nearly killed Usagi. I couldn't, I wouldn't let it get to that. There must be an easier way to bring Ami back to her senses.

I'd interposed myself, telling Luna to get Usagi to Mamoru and Chibi-Usa. Calling forth Lightning, I'd brought out my spear to face off with Dark Mercury. It was only after hearing her taunts and derisive remarks that I finally began to grasp what she was truly after.

Yes, we were facing Dark Mercury, but it was still Ami beneath all that.

I rubbed at the scab on my lips, which I'd bitten upon the realisation and the painful memory of when I'd been ready to make that same mistake. She saw that I was then too distracted to grant her that wish. She'd called up her mist and knocked me out before I could do anything. I'd found out afterwards that that was when Venus had intervened, having been warned by Luna on her cell phone.

She had managed to bring Dark Mercury across to a more deserted part of town, where the lights were faulty, hoping to use it to her advantage. But as Mars had realized, upon arriving there, after finding me and calling Motoki to come and help me out, Venus was just as unable to stop Dark Mercury as Usagi and I had been.

I sighed remembering my frustration, before looking over to the one who had managed to save Ami.

She looked beat. She hadn't told us yet how she'd managed, but it had been dreadfully tough.  
Her usually faultless skin was covered in stitches and healing gels, with the odd piece of gauze. Her face colour remained pale, and her brow looked clammy with sweat.  
She had a bandage wrapped tightly around her left forearm and wrist, which we'd been told she had twisted and possibly infected. It probably wasn't the only part of her wrapped up.

I fingered the bandage around my head in sympathy. It was no fun to be wounded. Minako and I were probably lucky not to need to stay over at the hospital tonight. (Although Minako did admit she was tempted to do so anyway, just to taunt her manager.)

"So..." Said the above mentioned pop idol.  
"Tell us Rei, what happened? What happened last night after I passed out?"

Without lifting her head from her pillow Rei answered, after a moment's pause to organise her thoughts.

"Well, let's make a long story short.  
I distracted her attention away from you and we moved down the road a bit, to the abandoned parking lot.  
We fought, and somehow I managed to overpower her enough that she thought she was defeated.  
We talked a bit, then scary shade from hell surged from her body and knocked me out somehow.  
Next thing I knew, I was here. It's Motoki who found us, isn't it?"

I nodded, the query obviously being directed at me.

"Thanks for calling him." I said softly.  
Sometimes I thought Furuhata Motoki was a treasure too precious for me.

Rei had called him, telling him where to find me before heading off in the hopes of helping Venus. When finding me, Motoki had worried at not finding Rei nearby, nor being able to reach her by phone, and had searched the whereabouts, finding Minako first, then the two others, all unconscious. He'd had to call for an ambulance, since we couldn't all fit in the car. He would have brought us to the hospital anyways.

"What did you talk about? What caused this shade to appear?"  
Minako was talking in her Venus voice, the one she used as leader of the Sailor Warriors.

It had been a while since I'd heard her use it. I had grown so used to her singer and teasing personas that I felt as if there had been a time warp of sorts. I shrugged, turning my attention to the bedridden girl of the room.

"I told her that her game was up, I knew what she was playing at, and she replied something about the prediction I'd made."

"Oh." I could see her biting her lip with regret.  
So I hadn't been wrong in thinking it was the prediction that had caused her to fight us so harshly yet not kill us.

"You mean she wasn't completely Dark Mercury?"  
Minako had a point. The Dark Mercury from our teenage years wouldn't have hesitated to kill us, and when she did, we could see her withdraw in pain. Dark Mercury from last night had, in hindsight, not been so keen to kill us as to beat us into wrath.

Rei hesitated a bit.

"She was... And she wasn't." I could see my priestess friend frown in confusion.  
"It's as if Ami had been given enough control of her own to manipulate her dark side into giving us info and only fighting us, not killing us outright... But the Darkness in her made it difficult to not fight at her best... I'm uncertain how to best describe it."

"Only a partial possession then?" I said, trying to picture what she was describing.

"Yes. That would be it. A possession that twisted her enough to make her do our enemy's bidding, without preventing free will."

"But why would the enemy do such a thing?" Wondered Minako, in response to Rei's reply.

I hesitated a moment, while the other two pondered the possibilities.  
"I... I remember hearing Ami say just now something about being given a choice? By a certain Diamond?"

"A choice?" Said Rei, startled.

I nodded. "But she didn't say what."

"Diamond..." Repeated Minako, as if trying to place a name. She shook her head, muttering something about Artemis not being there when she needed him.

"What else did you talk about?" She asked, focusing back on the main topic. "Surely talking of the prediction wasn't what caused the darkness in her to leap out at you, or whatever it was."

Rei acknowledged this, and answered that she'd then told her she'd made a mistake in her interpretation of the vision, that a sailor warrior that wasn't one of us was going to die.

"I think that might have been the trigger," she said. "I saw her clutch her head and black flames covered her body."

At this she flexed her right hand, looking at it curiously. I noticed all of a sudden that it was covered in small blisters. Ouch.

"Then she started telling me something about a Puu' person. I think it was truly Ami talking then, and it had seemed urgent and important to her."

Somehow, this caught Minako's attention.

"What did she say about this Puu' ?" At her tone, she considered this information to be critical.

"She said it was a woman, a woman called Puu or Pluto. Sailor Pluto. A tall lady with dark skin and long hair done up in a bun yet loose. Who guarded a door in the time of the moon kingdom. She said Chibi-Usa knew her, which doesn't make sense, in my opinion. After that I felt the spell around Ami shatter as she passed out, and the black flames lurching at me. I was barely able to set up a protection spell and grab the blue crystal in the flames before I too passed out."

"Blue crystal?" I asked. I couldn't understand where that came into the story.

"Ami's soul, Makoto." Minako answered, clenching her jaws.  
"That shade was going to kill her as it escaped her body."  
Rei nodded her agreement.

"Oh god. And what about this Sailor Pluto? If Chibi-Usa knows her, that means she's living today."

"But why would she be alive in this world today, if she was from the time of the Moon Kingdom?" Countered Rei.  
"And if she was, why didn't Luna and Artemis wake up her Sailor Powers to come to Usagi's aid?"

"Pluto... How could I forget!" Minako sudden outburst distracted us.

"Minako, you still...?" I couldn't quite bring myself to finish my question with 'have memories of the past life', but she understood anyway and nodded.

"Hm. I still have strong memories of the moon kingdom, but I can't believe I didn't recall there being other sailors. I guess I never really had to think of them..." She muttered, rubbing at her head.

Rae had shoved herself up onto her pillow to better stare at Minako.

"So you remember this Pluto?" A hint of worry was in the bedridden priestess's voice, but her stern face forbade us to remark upon it.

"Only vaguely... She was one of what we called the Outer Sailors then."

"Outer?" I asked.

"Yes. Like the planets in the solar system are divided into two groups. The inner system, with Mercury, Venus, Earth, and Mars..." Went Minako, before having her sentence continued by our sometimes stargazing friend Rei.  
"... And for the outer, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune and finally Pluto."

I merely gaped.

Misunderstanding my muteness, Minako added.  
"Which makes a potential of four other sailors being out there. I don't remember Saturn, Uranus or Neptune, but I do remember Pluto as being a very tall stern looking woman. Somehow I always thought of her element as being earth, but, I never did find out..."

"Woah, woah, wait a minute, go back a bit." I interrupted. Too much of this was going over my head.  
"I know this is going to sound ridiculous, but Jupiter is one of the outer planets, right?  
Does that mean Sailor Jupiter was an outer sailor?"

Minako stared at me in surprise, obviously not understanding the origin of the question.

"I must admit I'm curious too..." Came Rei's tired voice from her bed.

Minako smiled and laughed, the tension from thinking back to the time of the tragedy of Serenity and Endymion leaving her shoulders.  
She grimaced in pain as her chuckles caused her bruised ribs to make themselves known, but still smiled none the less.

"Don't worry, Jupiter." She said, slightly mocking.  
"You were always one of the Inners. You were never able to just stand back and watch like the Outers had to."

"Stand back...?" I queried.  
"And watch?" Questioned Rei, a frown creasing her face.

Minako leaned back in her chair and looked up at the ceiling.  
"The inners and outers had different roles back then.  
We were in charge of protecting the moon princess and her mother the queen, while they were in charge of protecting the kingdom from afar. I think they were forbidden to intervene inside the kingdom except as a last resort.  
Artemis would probably know more about them, if he still remembers.  
Anyways, I think that's why, even if they were reborn now, they wouldn't have come forth as sailors yet."

We lapsed into silence as we thought this over.

Four other sailors, huh? We had suspected there being another when Rei's visions had cleared enough to show it definitely wasn't one of us but...  
If Rei's prediction were to come true, then that meant that one of these other sailors, be it Pluto or one of the other three, was going to be awakened to her Sailor powers soon. I recalled the loneliness I had felt at first as a sailor, a feeling I knew now came also from the previous life, and not just the absence of my parents. I wondered whether this new sailor would have to face that feeling too, whether it would be worse...  
Minako did say they had to protect the kingdom from afar, probably alone. In Rei's vision, the sailor died alone. I squared my jaw, swearing inwardly to myself that I would do my uttermost to prevent that from happening. No one should be alone, and my friends, as well as my husband Motoki, had been the ones to demonstrate that to me.

We were going to have to find this sailor and protect her from her fate.

I cleared my head of these thoughts though when I noticed that Rei was muttering angrily to herself.  
"A last resort you said? Hell. For all I know the earth was destroyed again and they still didn't interfere. What kind of sailors are they? I can't believe..."

"As I said," said Minako sternly. "If they are reborn today, they probably don't even know they are sailors. If it weren't for Artemis and Luna, we would never have known we were sailors either, and Metalia would have had her way."

Rei sighed and closed her eyes.  
"... I guess you are right. But I'm still going to have to talk with Artemis about this."

She kept her eyes closed in silence. I could see she was bothered by this. It was only natural, I guess, when one sees a stranger dying in one's dreams again and again.

"So..." Minako decided. "Let me see if we've got this story straight.

We are facing an unknown enemy, amongst which there is a man named Diamond who can manipulate shadows like Kunzite did when under Metalia's influence. This enemy is not only after chibi-Usa, a child who appeared out of nowhere, but is also after a grail and the three talismans guarded by three sailor warriors. Since we don't have a clue what these talismans are in the first place, it's probably these outer sailors who have yet to appear who guard or guarded them. Of these four mysterious sailors, one we know, is at risk of dying in the near future."

Rei nodded at this, a pained look on her face.

"The only one we have any clues towards, is Pluto, who Ami said chibi-Usa knows. All we know about her is that she's a tall woman, with dark skin and an affinity to the element earth, although I'm not certain. Chances are she does guard one of the talismans, but I doubt it is this door she's said to have guarded in the past life.  
Anything else? "

I shook my head, and Rei merely whispered "nothing."

"Right then, I guess this discussion is done then. I'll have a talk with Artemis and Kunzite, and then we should be able to scrabble together a plan. I'll also have a word with Ami."

"Good." I stood up from my seat on the window edge, twirling one of the dying flowers in my hand.

"Then I'd better go. Motoki's good at keeping the shop, but I need to get some orders ready...  
And some new flowers for these rooms." I added, pointing at the dying bouquet with a wry smile.

"See you later Rei!" I said as I opened the door to leave.

Minako was behind me, ready to say her own farewell to Rei, who looked greatly in need of a bit of peace and quiet, but she stopped her saying she wanted to have one last word with her.

I twirled the dying flower in my hands, a rose rid of it's thorns. Pity. I liked the thorns, they reminded me of my tomboy side.

I wondered whether Minako or Rei had found someone yet. I knew Minako was getting on well with Zoicite (who's human name I'd forgotten too) but they both had too many memories from the past life for it to work, at least from what Minako had said. And as for Rei... I sighed. It would be a long trek for her to completely trust a man. I wondered how things were going with her father now.

And thinking of the devil...

"Ah! Mrs Motoki! I didn't know you had been injured..."

I tried not to gape at the man in front of me. I stuttered a surprised response.  
"Mr Hino! Pleased to see you. And it's nothing serious, really. You heard about your daughter?"

He nodded sullenly, the bodyguards behind him giving me shy smiles.

Mr Hino was a regular customer to my shop, even if he rarely had the time to come in person. Rei had told him in passing about my shop, it seemed, and since, he regularly called upon our services not only for flowers, but sometimes for food at receptions too. He probably ordered at us at first because I was a friend of his daughter, but I knew he would have been obliged to go somewhere else had the flowers not been satisfactory.

"I came to the hospital for an official visit, but I guess the official part can wait a bit, if you'd be kind enough to point me to her room? I heard my daughter was injured in a car accident... You were in the car as well?"

I nodded, a bit too quickly, causing my head to throb a bit, but I refrained from showing it. The car accident was the most likely story Motoki had been able to provide when questioned by the hospital staff. The doctors who had treated us frowned at the story, obviously not believing it, but for outsiders and the uninformed, it worked well and avoided embarrassing questions.

I smiled slightly amused that Rei's father still felt the need for work related excuses to see his daughter, but he was getting better at showing his concern for her.

I led him to the room and jotted down on a paper in my purse an order for some flowers. He was not an easy man to have normal chitchat with.

When we got there, Minako was just leaving, saying something along the lines of "Don't worry, I'm fine. If there's a problem I won't be afraid to sort it out this time."  
Rei's reply was muffled, but Minako made it final.  
"You just get some rest Lady."

She left the room and, noticing us, winked at Rei's father and waved at me. She couldn't stop to chat, her manager and bodyguard had just noticed her and she quickly went down the corridor in the opposite direction.

I smirked, not only amused by the manager's reaction but also at noticing Mr. Hino blush slightly. Whoever Minako would fall for, she'd have no problem seducing them.

I left as Mr. Hino signalled to his men to stay outside the door while he went in to inquire on his daughter's well being.

This time, as I walked down the corridor, it was my mind full with thoughts about all that we'd learnt today, and many, many questions, doubts and worries.

It was as I turned a corner that I made the third random encounter of the day.

I hissed as the shock of bumping into another person caused my head and arms to smart. I hadn't been walking that fast (although I had been using big strides), but the other person must have been jogging rather fast, as we both found ourselves splayed on the floor.

"Ow, ouch. You okay there?" I said, sitting myself up and looking towards them.

The other person, a woman probably as tall as me, and not more than a year or two older at first glimpse, picked herself up slowly, muttering excuses in a worried voice. Once she managed to stand up, she leaned towards me and offered a hand up.  
I took it, but not before I got a good look at her dress.

"I'm sorry, I should have looked where I was going. You alright?"

"Yeah, I'm fine." I answered. "No worries, I was distracted too."

Although now it was her dress I found distracting. I'd never seen that kind before.  
It wasn't the kind of dress you saw in shops, more the kind you'd see in fashion shows, but with a more practical and every day side. A light mauve dress layered onto a dark green underskirt, with a hand embroidered design over the left breast, going up and all the way down the left sleeve. Wherever she got the dress it must have cost quite a bit.

Having established that in my mind, I finally brought myself to look at the woman herself. At first I'd assumed her age to be in the early twenties, but now she looked ageless and in the good way. She gave off an aura of maturity and responsibility, despite the fact that her fall had messed up her long black hair which she had had tied up. Although what drew me in most were her eyes, that looked into mine, giving her face a sad yet nostalgic expression. I barely noticed the dark tan of her skin.

"I'm sorry, have we met before?" She asked.

Embarrassed at having been caught staring, I turned my face away and hesitated. Now that she mentioned it, she did feel familiar. But I couldn't place her, and I certainly didn't know anyone personally who could afford such wonderful clothes.

I shook my head.  
"No, I don't think so, you must be confusing me with someone else."

She smiled apologetically.  
"I'm sorry. My mistake."  
She then looked at her watch, bit her lip and excused herself, murmuring something about wishing time could slow down.

A confusing encounter.

I pondered it as I left the hospital and headed towards the bus station. It was only once on the bus that I realised what had bothered me most about the impromptu meeting.

That woman fitted Rei's description of Pluto perfectly.

"Damn!"

-

**tbc...**

_Author's note:_ Yup, I'm one of them slowish authors. Anyway, a couple of notes on this part...

I haven't forgotten about Pluto being Plutoed (demoted from Planet to dwarf Planet) and it will hopefully come up later on in the story. I'm starting to venture into new characterizations of introduced characters (because one of the parts I loved about the live action was it's new perspective on our favourite sailors) and would love any crit' or suggestions regarding what I should avoid doing or what you think shouldn't be forgotten. I should probably also start thinking about the villains more and craft them into something as interesting as Beryl and the Shitennou were. Hee, Lot's of fun ahead.

Edited to correct a mistake. I can't believe I wrongly assumed Furuhata was Motoki's first name.

Anyway, next part shouldn't take too long. Hope you enjoyed!

-**Dagron.**


	3. Violet eyes, Dark dreams

**-**

**Violet eyes. Dark dreams.**

-

**I**t felt nice, leaning against his chest. His arm was gently wrapped around her small shoulders in a comforting gesture. He was so warm, so cosy... Yes. She felt safe there, safe enough to let herself slowly nod off to sleep, without fear of nightmares or danger. She hadn't been this much at ease since... But no, she didn't want to think about that. All she wanted was to be able to pretend that had never happened, even if it was just for now. Being able to snuggle up to the man who would become her father helped. A small, earnest smile crept to her lips as her face relaxed, and her hold on Luna-P lessened. It wasn't long before she was dreaming of Family, Unicorns and Gardens... Of Happiness.

"Is she asleep?"

Mamoru nodded gently at his wife's question. He didn't want to disturb the child. It was strange how right it felt to let the little girl snuggle up against him like that. He felt filled with both a feeling of warmth and great protectiveness. Which made sense really. He couldn't help but feel protective of a girl in distress. It was still as much the case for Mamoru Chiba as it was for Prince Endymion in his former life.

"Like a little angel." he replied, brushing his fingers through the child's bleached bangs.

"One wouldn't think she could be such a demon when awake!" said Usagi pointedly. She put away the dish she had been drying (the meal had been less of a disaster then usual), before coming over to the living area to sit at Mamoru's other side.

"Tch, look who's talking," went her prince. She was quick to puff up in protest, until, that is, she realized he was smirking and taunting her. She swatted back at him.

"You should have seen what the little terror did to Ami's hair..."

Dring! Alert bells ringing! Usagi was going to start her umpteenth spiel about 'Chibi-Usa's evil deeds.' Quick, think of a distraction wonder boy.

"Ah, yes. How are Ami and the others doing? I'm afraid Motoki didn't have much time to inform me this morning."

Mamoru recalled Motoki's desperate attempts to keep up with the flow of customers. His wife's flowers were sure popular this time of year. The young man had had to flee before the temporary florist could even think of enrolling him as help. Not that he minded helping his pal out, but he had other urgent matters to attend to, including his own work, Chibi-Usagi's protection, and helping the Shittenou fight the new evil that was taking over the city of Tokyo.

And now Mamoru was crossing fingers in the hope that his distraction would work on his overly enthusiastic young wife. He didn't enjoy the tales of his little protégée's blunders as much as Usagi did in telling them. He knew that it wasn't because she was mean. One only needed to glimpse the admiring smiles that would sneak up in between the young woman's overly exaggerated scowls to understand that most of her irritation towards the girl was out of admiration and a little envy. Yes, Usagi was envious of Chibi-Usagi. The little girl had a focus and a toughness about her that Usagi never had. The fact that they seemed to share so much in common aside from that only accentuated this difference more. Although why Usagi felt the need to get worked up over this was beyond Mamoru's comprehension.

Aha! The distraction seemed to work, and Mamoru was spared a retelling of Little Usagi's _'sharp reaction' _to Ami's pointing out her albinism by name.

"Makoto called," explained Usagi, while brushing back one of her pigtails.  
"She only had a small bump on the head apparently, so they let her out fine, on the condition she paced herself. Minako's back on her feet and teasing her manager and bodyguards as good as ever."

The retired form of Sailor Moon had put up two fingers and was now pointing at a third, enumerating her friends' fortunes one at a time.  
"Rei needs to stay in a little longer till they're confident her cold isn't going to develop into something serious. She's got some nasty burns that may take some time to heal, but I'm told she's already got most of her spunk back. As for Ami..."

Here, at her fourth digit, her eyes saddened.  
"She's got something nasty to her leg that means she'll probably be unable to walk for the next three or four weeks. They'll be keeping her there at least another week, because it's most convenient for her and her mother. That and they're worried she might have damaged her "lungs" I think. She also has some burns, but they aren't as bad as Rei's so it should be fine. She doesn't remember what it is she's been doing these past three weeks but she doesn't seem to be fretting over it as much as the first time. At least that's what Makoto said."

And as if the worried look on her face hadn't been enough, Usagi put up her thumb and continued, a bitter tone in her voice.  
"And while all the others have been hurt trying to protect me, here I am with barely a scratch, good old and useless me."

Mamoru wrapped his free arm around her shoulders in a reassuring squeeze, saying in a low yet definite voice that no, she wasn't useless. She merely shook her head and pulled out of her pocket the watch he'd bought her, way back before they had vanquished Queen Beryl and Metalia.

He knew it was the drawing of the Moon she was looking at. Of all her crew, she was the only one who had yet to transform once more. She felt just as useless as when Kuroki Mio had tried to sabotage their wedding by sending in clowns to steal everyone's energy. It had been a one-time-only stroke of luck that had enabled her to become Sailor Moon again, for the duration of that one battle. Even if it did happen again, as the others seemed to prove it could, what was there to prevent the tragedy of their teenage years from repeating itself? Having the strength of the silver crystal back for the length of one battle was okay, but having it at one's side on a near permanent basis...?  
No wonder Usagi was feeling uneasy. She didn't like the idea of her friends' pain anymore than she liked that of sitting back and watching them fight, unable to assist them herself.

All Mamoru could do was pull her into a tighter embrace and hope he could protect her from her worries that way. It wasn't long before Usagi senior was also snuggled against his side, slowly drifting into sleep, as he too nodded off, his head leaning upon her own.

Kunzite and the others could manage without him for another hour or so anyway.

-  
_  
**D**ear Diary,  
_  
_In the end, I didn't get to go to Professor Tomoe's stargazing session this week. Which is a pity since I had been looking forward to it.  
The professor has been too busy in the past month to host it, and I can't help but have the feeling that there is something too fascinating to miss happening up there of late. The 'astronomy tower' at his home is one of the best places to observe the skies from within Tokyo, mostly thanks to the high-performance telescope he has there._

I called him to apologize for my absence. I had fallen asleep on the couch while heating some leftovers in the microwave. I hoped to have a quick meal and shower before heading out again, but obviously I must have been exhausted, since by the time I woke up, I was already over an hour late. I decided to forgo the outing altogether. The professor was very understanding though. He said he and the other astronomists and physicists there regretted my absence, but would be glad to fill me in on what I had missed tomorrow at work. I thanked him, even though I know their observations won't have the same impact on me as a direct view of the stars. Maybe I should try to book a session at the observatory in the mountains this week end... It can't hurt.

_The Professor also thanked me for visiting his daughter for him this lunch time, despite my busy schedule. He knows how crucial the beginnings of a project can be, and has shown considerable interest in my theory and approach. Apparently he is researching something along similar lines. He got a surprise breakthrough in getting some crucial funding for his own project, which is the only reason why he asked of me such a favour.  
_  
_Tomoe's daughter is at the hospital, getting some treatment for a rare respiratory disorder. She's been there for over a week, and the doctors wish to keep her in for another two. It must be rather difficult for the professor and her. I learnt from his colleagues that his wife died in a tragic accident some seven years ago, leaving him alone to care for her. Professor Tomoe hardly ever mentions her, or his private life. Everyone assumes it's because he wants to concentrate on his research. Therefore it was only normal for me to be surprised when he not only informed me of the situation, but asked if I could go and visit her in his stead._  
_  
"**I've been visiting her every day during the lunch break since she's been in,**" he said. "**However I suddenly have a meeting with the funds board today which I cannot miss or postpone. Hotaru will be disappointed that I cannot make it, but I would rather have her know than let her worry. Do understand that if circumstances were otherwise, I wouldn't dream of imposing such a chore on you, but...**"  
Those might not be his exact words, but the gist of it is there. I would have been hard pushed to refuse. I had gained a good head start on my project by then, and the opportunity to meet Tomoe's daughter was something my inquisitive mind could not say no to._

_The hospital visit in itself was fairly strange._

I went there after having grabbed a bite to eat, rushing a little because I still wished to get a fair amount of work done in the afternoon. The Professor had told me Hotaru's room number, but I still managed to get lost in the maze that is that building. I bumped into someone while backtracking at what was probably a quick jog. It was a young woman, only a couple of years younger than me. For some reason I felt as though I should have known who she was. I could see pictures in my mind of her smiling, dancing, talking... But surely I would have remembered the name of someone as tall as she? I don't know that many Japanese women who top me in height after all. For a moment I thought I saw a flash of recognition flash in her eyes too, but I must have been mistaken, as she denied having met me before.

_Awkward. It had been a while since I last had an impression of that kind. I think it is what my grandmother used to call my "spider sense tingling".  
... She had lovely earrings though. The woman I mean, not grandmother. I think they were made from real rose buds. If ever I see her again, I'll be sure to inquire about them._

My encounter with Tomoe Hotaru was also quite peculiar.

When I got to her room, the first thing that struck me was how quiet it was. Most of the other rooms I had passed along the way had been filled with the chattering of sick children's friends and family, sometimes the blaring noise of a television. Even the quieter ones had at least had some sort of rustling or beeping noise.  
Tomoe's room had been dead quiet. I was so relieved when I heard the sigh of the occupant dispel that disturbing impression.

Then I had another surprise. Stepping nervously into the room, trying hard not to show my unusual uneasiness, I came upon a teenage girl. For some reason I had expected the Professor's daughter to be as young as ten, a chubby face showing a similar cheery disposition to her father's.

Hotaru was nothing of the sort.

She looked as old as thirteen, although a glance at her health sheet (which some nurse must have carelessly left by her bedside) told me she was fourteen and a half. She seemed pretty small for her age... However, with her dark black hair falling like a velvet curtain around her face, her pale skin and unmoving gaze, she gave off the impression of a wisdom beyond her years.

She ignored my presence for what seemed like ages, staring at a book she had open on her lap, never moving to turn the page. It appeared to be some poem, even if I wasn't able to read it from where I stood. Why was she staring at it so? What was it about? If only I could remember the title of the book, maybe I could find it myself...  
But no, I recall now. When at last I spoke her name in question, afraid of disturbing her yet unwilling to stand in silence much longer, she had closed the book. It had been an old book, the cover so worn and damaged that the title was no longer readable. I didn't have the sense to ask her about it then, and even if I had, would she have answered me honestly?

As if the closing of the book had suddenly freed her to pay attention to the world that surrounded her, she rose her head to acknowledge me, her tired face looking up at mine, as she asked her question in a soft voice.  
"...Yes?"

I introduced myself, told her I was a colleague of her father's and explained that he had sent me, and why.

"He usually sends that other woman..." She remarked. The way she frowned, I could tell she didn't like that person, although I had no idea who it could be. She seemed to remember her manners though, and gave me a small, apologetic smile.

"It's nice to meet you, miss Meioh," she said. A hesitation, puzzled expression and then a question followed...  
"I'm sorry if I met you before and forgot. You seem familiar, yet..."

I was surprised. I was sure that we hadn't met before, yet she and I both seemed to share a sense of having done so. I have often enough had the impression of knowing someone the moment I set eyes on them, but she was the first person to openly share that feeling. I smiled, not wanting to worry her, merely saying that no, I didn't think we had met.  
"I see..." was all she replied.

A few minutes of silence passed, but for some reason I no longer felt ill at ease. I sat on the edge of her bed, smiling up at her. Slowly I could see a smile sneak its way onto her face. After another moment, a giggle made itself heard. I grinned before letting my own laugh come forth.  
When at last her giggles subsided, she gave me a sad yet sweet smile.

"You're a strange person." It was said with good humour.  
"I don't mind being strange," I answered. "Most scientists are, I hear." I winked.

She sighed. And then another strange thing happened. She frowned, but differently from before. Her eyes seemed to flicker for a second and I felt a chill run down my spine.  
Maybe I had better change the subject.

"What's the food like here?" I asked, sitting on my hands. I was aware that teenagers were susceptible to mood swings, but this seemed a bit too sudden.

"It's terrible." Even her voice sounded icy. Maybe she had felt offended, thinking I had called her father strange? Now that I thought about it, Professor Tomoe did have some troubles a couple of years ago, with many scientists unwilling to work with him due to some sort of strange behaviour.

I was at a loss. I couldn't find anything to say. I was tempted to leave and return to my research, but I didn't want to leave this child, no, this teenager on such a bad note.

"What do you think of Time Travel, miss Meioh?" Hotaru asked me. She was smirking in a manner that looked both mocking and unnatural.

_What I think of time travel? What a question to ask... My research and that of Professor Tomoe both deal with the possibility of extra-terrestrial life forms. It has nothing to do with the troubles of Space Time continuum._

_How did she know that Time Travel..._

--:--

**M**amoru awoke with a start when he felt his mobile phone vibrate in his shirt pocket. Silently blessing whatever instinct had him put it in silent mode, he sat up gently to check whether or not the other two had awakened.  
He need not have worried. Usagi was snoring away in her lovably cute fashion. As for Chibi Usagi, she had curled up against the arm of the sofa, her arms wrapped around her ball. He was free to stand up and see who was calling him.

"Hello? Chiba speaking."

"Master!"  
It was Zoicite. Mamoru stood immediately alert. Zoicite wouldn't have called him master unless it had to do with the new villains in town, and needed to be dealt with urgently.

After a few questions and answers, such as where was Kunzite (who was usually the one to update him on the situation,) what had happened, where, who and what, Mamoru decided to give out his orders. "Okay, Zoicite. I'm coming over, I'll contact Jadeite. You try and get Kunzite to come around. Tell Nephrite to stand guard at the hospital, in case the enemy wants to trick us into leaving it unguarded."

As he said this, Mamoru was already grabbing his tuxedo suit from its niche under the counter separating the lounge from the kitchen area. With a small popping noise, he un-flattened his top hat and put it on the work surface as he slipped out of his casual attire. He was already in his tuxedo trousers and shirt when he heard Zoicite's response.

"Who'll protect the girls? Don't worry... Luna should be able to protect them long enough to call for Jupiter or Venus's help, but I think they'll be fine."

So long as the situation wasn't a distraction to hit them here... But Mamoru was willing to take the chance that if distraction there was, it was to target the hospital. He hung up and swiftly buttoned up his shirt.

Thinking of Luna, the moon cat had been acting a bit strange of late. She'd been spending a lot of the time sulking in corners, or on the roof, staring at the moon and the stars. Or what little one could see of the latter at least. Whenever Artemis was mentioned she'd either become grumpy or turn somewhat sarcastic.

Luna being sarcastic was a fairly scary sight, especially in her human form.

Mamoru suspected it had something to do with Chibi-Usa's Luna-P. One of Luna's most recurring complaints had been about it.  
"_What does the P stand for anyway? Pig? I think not..._"  
There was also the touchy subject of her human form. She didn't grow, always remaining the same eight year old child, much to some of her most frequent 'encounters' wonder. (Especially Usagi's brother.) Oh, she'd boast about how nifty it was being able to get away with things and ask for sweets, without the worry of growing up, only that of when she'd next sneeze... But Mamoru couldn't help but notice at times how she grow quiet after that, turning inwards with a melancholic sigh.

That wasn't all though. Mamoru could feel it. He might have known the moon cat the least, but he was certain something else was bothering her. He just had no idea what.

He sighed as he slipped on his cape, reaching out for his hat and putting it on his head with a flourish. The mask didn't take long to follow either.

"Why did you pick it up?" came a small voice.

Mamoru jumped, before turning to see Chibi-Usa, looking at him through sleep heavy eyes.

"What?" he asked.

"The Hat..." A yawn prevented her from finishing her sentence straight away. "You usually just make it fly onto your head."

"Really now?" The young man tried to hide his unease, as the little girl hummed confirmation.  
"I guess I just felt like picking it up," he said, reaching over to ruffle her hair and cover the little girl with a blanket.  
"Why don't you go back to sleep? Uncle Mamoru has something to take care of now..."

The girl's faint nod as she drifted back into the land of nod was enough to reassure him. He pulled another small blanket off the nearby sofa and covered his still sleeping wife as well.

After that he left the flat in silence, climbing to the roof to have a quick word with Luna before racing off to find his generals.  
He couldn't help but wonder, as he travelled, about the nature of Chibi-Usa's remark...

--:--

**_T_**_ime travel has always been a secret dream of mine. For many reasons_,_ really._

_As a child I'd daydream a lot about what life might have been like twenty years, two hundred years, even two millennia ago. I'd wonder about when the important discoveries had been made, how the great heroes of our past might have seen themselves. Sometimes I'd even try and imagine what the future would be like. My favourite imaginings would be of buildings made of transparent crystal, acting like prisms and refracting light through all the shades of the rainbow. It wouldn't be a perfect world, of course... There's nothing interesting in a world without some form of danger at bay._

_When I grew a little older, another secret dream would add itself to these. If I could time travel, maybe I could go back in time and find my father. Maybe I could stop terrible things from happening if I saw them coming long enough in advance... Maybe I could have saved my grandmother from that storm.  
But I soon discarded that idea. What would be the point in changing the past, since it was what made the present and the future? However much it hurts, the past shouldn't be discarded._

_When I acquired my degree, it had been very tempting to specialize in the study of space time continuum... I hadn't mentioned the idea to anyone, save perhaps my boyfriend at the time, but I had kept my ears and eyes open, eager to hear of any theory or discovery that would encourage me in that direction. However I had found a deeper calling in the study of the skies. The thought of life out there had been just as thrilling..._

But that didn't tell me why the child had felt the urge to ask me about it.

"I..." It had been so long since I had tried to vocalize any thoughts on the subject. "I think it's a fascinating idea."  
What else could I say? How could I expect a fourteen year old to relate to theories she'd probably never heard of, to understand the equations that excited me so when I found some new paper on the subject.

"Just an idea, eh?" Hotaru's expression seemed to have reverted to something less disturbing. I noticed another flash of violet in her eyes, as she continued, her voice less acid, less cold. "I wonder what it would feel like, to travel through time."

I could only give her a sad smile, having wondered that myself without ever finding a satisfying answer.  
"Only time can tell."  
Which also reminded me that my lunch hour was pretty much over and I should start heading back to the laboratory. Even if I did have a head start, time was still precious.

"Anything you wish me to tell your father?" I asked as I stood up. "I'm afraid I can't chat much longer."

A warm smile came across her face, making her look more human and alive then she had during the whole conversation.  
"Just tell him not to worry too much about me. I'm fine."

"Will do!" I said, saluting as one of my friends used to during high school.  
The lack of response as I headed to the door made me stop though, and look back at her.  
I could see her reaching for her throat, her face turning purple as she opened her mouth without any sound coming out. I rushed to her side, anxious to see whether or not she was alright... But of course she wasn't, I hit the buzzer for a nurse with my hand as I caught her shoulder.

_It was strange how she looked up at me then. There she was, having a fit, looking at me as though it were only normal that she couldn't even hear her own breaths, her eyes dark and withdrawn. I had a vision then. A vision that came back in my dreams when I slept just now. I left when the nurse and doctor arrived, assuring me that they knew what to do, that the fit would be over any minute... But in my vision it was her who asked me to leave, to be 'careful.'_

I sighed as I put my pen down, taking a break from my writing. I like keeping a diary. It's one of the best ways I've found to organize my thoughts, to take stock of my day, or days, as sometimes happens when I haven't had the time to write.

But those dreams...

I shook my head, took a sip of my hot drink, and set back to writing.

_I got a letter from Michiru today. Or more specifically a post card. She's having an exhibition of new paintings apparently, and would love if I could meet up with her there._

I grinned as I looked at the card once more. Michiru had always been gifted in painting, but her inspiration for the medium was always so fickle that she had chosen to focus on music instead. It was nice to know she had found some time to paint these last few months. If the card was anything to go by, the exhibition promised to be stunning.  
It would also be nice to catch up on each others lives again. We write to each other often enough, but we haven't really gotten together since the end of high school.

_She was in my dreams too._

... I didn't have the courage to write the dreams down though. I signed and dated my entry, before heading over to sit at my window. I didn't feel like sewing tonight. The dreams were still too vivid in my memory.

Dreams of an adult Hotaru fighting off a dark mountain of shadow, telling me to go away before I got hurt... Dreams of silence, darkness, mourning ... Dreams in which Michiru would see right through me, would hide in depths I could not reach. Dreams of crystal kingdoms laid to ruin, of a planet void of life... of a light coming to claim my loneliness.

I hugged my knees and thought of my past.

-

_tbc...  
_  
Thanks to Astarael for Beta-reading!_  
_


End file.
